Wildflowers in your Backyard or Back 40
For all the poetry of wildflowers, we seem to be rather hesitant to make room for them in our yards and farms. Greenhouses, home improvement centers, and grocery stores will sell millions of marigolds and violets this spring to homeowners looking to beautify their property. However, while these annual flowers will bloom for a season, they die off when the weather gets cold. Contrast that with our native perennial wildflowers that once established will continue to bloom year after year without any additional planting. Maybe we just are not patient enough. Maybe we demand to see flowers immediately, even before the plant gets in the ground. We want to see the goods in the dang greenhouse before we even buy them. I contend that not only are wildflowers worth the wait, but they also afford naturalists year-round opportunities to make observations and hone skills.
Amateur and professional ecologists alike can benefit from the establishment of native wildflowers in their backyard. One thing I enjoy is observing how plants change through the seasons. It's one thing to be able to identify a plant when it's in full bloom in summer. It's a whole new ballgame trying to ID a species by the leaves, dried inflorescence, or seed. Having a diverse community of native plants on your property allows you to become more intimate with those taxa. Likewise, wildflowers that attract lots of bees, butterflies, and flies provide excellent opportunities to improve your entomology skills. But even if you don't care about the creepy crawlies of this world (you should!), certainly few souls must be cold hearted enough to not appreciate the brilliant beauty of a black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta), sawtooth sunflower (Helianthus grosseserratus), or culver's root (Veronicastrum virginicum).
Establishing native plants on your property is one of the best things that you can do for the local fauna. One study in southeastern Pennsylvania found that suburban properties with mostly native plants supported a greater abundance and species richness of both caterpillar and bird species than properties with mostly non-native plants (Burghardt et al. 2009). Similarly, Pardee & Philpott 2014 found that abundance of native bees was greater in native plant gardens than yards without native plants. Researchers also found that urban gardens with more native plants had increased pollinator activity (Fukase & Simons 2015). These findings should not be a surprise to anyone. Through millions of years of coevolution, insects have adapted specialized morphology to utilize the native vegetation. Some non-native plant species definitely provide some benefits to some pollinators but certainly not to the same extent as our native vegetation.
Hopefully, you feel inspired to plant more native species on your property. If you feel daunted by the prospect of tearing up your yard to plant flowers, fear not! There are so many resources out there to guide you through the process, but I guess I will add my two cents on the matter. Here are my ten commandments to follow when planting a wildflower garden to beautify your yard and make it more attractive to bees, butterflies, and other wildlife.
The Ten Commandments of Planting Wildflowers
1. Thou shalt select an area with abundant sunlight
This is the first and great commandment. Most of the wildflowers that grow well for home gardeners are essentially grassland/prairie plants. Out there on the open prairie these beauties evolved to take full advantage of 8-12 hours of good sunlight each day. They simply are not well adapted to low-light conditions. So don't plant your wildflower garden under a tree or on the north side of your house.
2. Thou shalt take site preparation seriously
I write plans and timelines for farmers to take land out of production and put it into various conservation cover types including pollinator habitat. The biggest issue people run into is not taking the time/effort for good prep work. A firm, level, weed free seed bed gives the best results. Just remember, your plants are genetically programed to grow, but so are the weeds. Proper site prep gives your plants a boost so they can outcompete the weeds. There are a few ways to prep a lawn space for planting including herbicide, tillage, sod removal, and solarization.
3. Thous shalt know thy soils
Don't waste time and money planting species that will not grow in your soil type. I absolutely love Rosinweed (Silphium integrifolium), but this mesic to dry prairie species will not tolerate my heavy clay soils so I plant cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) as a substitute. If you stick with locally adapted species, you usually can't go wrong.
4. Thou shalt not plant non-natives
Your wildflower garden is a place for natives. This is not the place for red or alsike clover or other non-natives that can take over and shade out the tiny seedlings trying hard to get established. Maybe you saw a flower at a botanical garden or on your trip abroad that captured your heart. That's awesome. But there have been too many invasive species introduced originally by gardeners who loved a plant too much. Believe me, you can find a native wildflower that you will appreciate just as much as any non-native.
5. Thou shalt plant a diverse mix
A diversity of wildflower species will ensure an abundance of color throughout the growing season. Each species has an associated bloom period and a diverse mix will ensure that something will always be blooming from May through mid October. Diversity of bloom periods is important not only for you to enjoy your garden, but also to provide floral resources that native pollinators can obtain from spring through fall. One thing to consider is to plant native clump-forming grasses with your wildflowers to provide nesting and overwintering sites for bumblebees and other insects.
6. Thou shalt ensure good seed-soil contact.
Most of the time I recommend a broadcast seeding in the late fall early winter (Nov-Dec or Feb) for wildflower establishment. The freeze-thaw cycle through the winter and early spring will work the seed into the soil just below the surface. If the seed is broadcast in the spring onto loose surface soil, I recommend using a roller or just stepping on top of the soil to compress the seed tight to the soil surface. Don't plant seeds like you would peas or beans in your garden. Some of these seeds are so small that they are easily planted too deep, resulting in poor germination and a failed establishment.
7. Thou shalt use plugs, corms, or rhizomes to establish beneficial plants that have low germination rates.
There are so many cool wildflower species out there but some are easier than others to establish by seed. Many species of wildflower seed have a built in dormancy mechanism, preventing all the seeds from germinating at once which would leave them susceptible to late killing frosts or droughts. Therefore, it may take a couple years of freeze-thaw to see good germination. For species with low or slow germination rates, I recommend purchasing plugs (or starting your own), corms, or rhizomes from a greenhouse or supplier. My favorite genus of wildflower is Liatris, the blazingstars. Even the name is cool! Liatris is fairly hard to get established via seed but relatively easily by corms. Before you buy expensive seed, do some research to determine which planting method will work best for your desired species.
8. Thou shalt take care to control weeds
Like any garden, weeds are sure to be a frustrating factor, especially during the establishment year. For areas larger than 200 square feet, you can give your flowers a head start by spraying off the existing vegetation with herbicide. If you don't want to mess around with the chemicals, you can use a shovel to remove the existing sod, hoe up the first few inches of soil, and then broadcast the seed. Fair warning, grasses like fescue and Kentucky bluegrass are rhizomatous and will likely reestablish themselves from pieces of rhizome that you missed. But if you spend some time weeding as needed, you can still successfully establish a wildflower plot without herbicides. Once established, if sod-forming grass becomes and issue, you can periodically spray your plot with grass-selective herbicide (clethodim) or hand weed to control tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass.
9. Thou shalt be patient
Depending on what you plant, you may have to wait till the second year for some of your plants to bloom. Remember, many desirable species are perennials that will spend their first year focused on growing deep, extensive root system. This is a good thing because it allows your plants to be fairly drought tolerant for many years to come. However, if you can't wait that long to see some color, plant black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta), false sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides), and partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) which will all usually bloom the year you plant.
10. Thou shalt water your wildflowers sprouts
Most of the species that you will plant are drought tolerant once established, but for the first few months of growth you should water as needed to increase survival and growth rates of the young plants. A good rule of thumb is to water your young plants until they are at least 6" high.
There is still time this spring to plant some natives! Give it a try! Just do it! You are going to like the way they look, I guarantee it. I plan on adding five or six new species to my little plot in the next few days and I can't wait to see what kind of critters they attract!
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